COEUR d'ALENE - It's not surprising.

According to one of those personality tests they took a few years back, Brett and Susan Sommer are "maximizers."

That means, basically, they look at what's around them and wonder if it's being utilized to its very best. They see colors, designs and arrangements when they walk into a store, and consider how it might be different, or more important, better.

"You're always thinking," said Brett Sommer.

"You always notice things the average person wouldn't notice," Susan added.

Not that that's always a good thing.

"It can be a curse," Brett said. "You can't just go into a store and enjoy a store."

But being a maximizer is a blessing when you own your own stores, like the Sommers. Three of them in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Each shares common themes: Fun. Bright. Cheery. Festive.

"We build our stores for the local people," Susan said. "I think that's been the key to our success. We moved here and said we want something for Coeur d'Alene."

Today, that something includes Figpickels Toy Emporium, Paper Papillon Emporium, and their newest venture, Mrs. Honeypeeps Sweet Shop.

Places, they say, you won't find anywhere else. Places that can take you on that trip down memory lane.

"If you think of our stores, there's really not anything quite comparable to them in the Northwest," Brett said.

Let's start with Figpickels, which they opened seven years ago on Sherman Avenue. It's filled with toys, dating from 1890 to today. You wander inside and well, you want to play.

Think of an organized version of Santa's shop.

What about that name? It came from a cookbook recipe for pickled figs left to Susan by her grandmother.

"I thought, 'Well, this is a disgusting recipe, but it will be a great name for a store,'" she said, laughing.

Then there's the Paper Papillon they opened two years ago in the Plaza Shops with its butterflies and colorful cards, wonderful wrapping paper and delightful designs.

And the latest addition, Mrs. Honeypeeps, also in the Plaza Shops, with a gargantuan gumball machine in the center, surrounded by scores of sweets.

"I saw this and thought, that's the coolest thing ever," Susan said. "It would be a great anchor for a store."

The Sommers, married 26 years with two sons, believe in making people feel good when they shop, in making them want to shop.

So when they bought the building at 312 E. Sherman, they planned to renovate it, lease it and be landlords.

That's one plan that didn't work out.

"We didn't like any of the businesses that were coming to us," Susan said. "They were not a good fit for a downtown main street."

"They weren't any fun," Brett added. "They weren't going to help with our visitors or the locals."

Which led them to open Figpickels. After all, what's happier than a toy store?

"What did we like to find when we would travel somewhere?" Susan asked. "We always loved it when we found a toy store."

Entertainment

It didn't matter that they knew nothing of retail or toys, for that matter.

They came from the entertainment industry, Susan was a business manager for a film director, and Brett worked for a PR firm. They also operated their own music company in New York, and Brett was involved with Broadway shows. In fact, he created the technology used today that, in a nutshell, allows a few people to sound like groups of people.

It's a virtual orchestra.

"It's very helpful on tours when you can't take a full orchestra," Brett said.

"I kind of started the use of electronic music in the Broadway area, and so I would have to program that. Then we were doing it all over the world. I was flying to London all the time, Australia."

Its success opened more doors of opportunity, and one led to Coeur d'Alene.

If they could succeed in entertainment in the Big Apple, they could certainly figure out how to make a toy store work in North Idaho, they thought.

Susan's relentless research and attention to detail, such as watching people's shopping patterns, led her to this finding: Unusual toys sell. You just have to find them, which she does by traveling far and frequently.

"Retro things you don't see everywhere," Brett said.

The success of Figpickels led to two more shops in downtown Coeur d'Alene, an area the Sommers strongly support and promote.

They're surprised when they hear residents say there's nothing downtown.

"We want them to come downtown. As the downtown goes, so does the rest of Coeur d'Alene, really," Brett said.

So that's where they spend their time. They firmly believe in doing what they enjoy. It's standard stuff to find both in their shops any day of the week, greeting customers, working with employees, showcasing their products.

"People know if you put yourself into your business," she said.

No money

They point out that early on in their marriage and careers, they were flat broke.

"We started with less than nothing," she said.

"There was no mom and dad trust fund," Brett added, smiling.

They met, by the way, when they were young and both had roles in "an awful dinner theater" production in Ocean City, Md. When they were first married, they slept on acoustical foam in Brett's recording studio because they couldn't afford an apartment. There was no shower, just a sink and toilet.

Good times, really, that they laugh about.

"The best gift you ever gave me was a membership to the health club when it opened around the corner," Susan said. "We could take showers."

They chuckle when they talk about earning $13,000 a year in Manhattan, and $30,000 when they were raising two sons.

"You can start with nothing and still make it," Brett said.

"Anybody can do it. It's just a matter of how much you want to work."

What works

They are always considering different ventures.

"We're not afraid," Susan said.

Their projects pan out because they do their research, pay attention to details, and, one more thing, work a lot.

"More than any human being wants," Susan laughed.

They like what's different. They like to create what's not already there. Or maybe, what was there, with a twist.

Is it viable is a question they often toss out.

"It's a creative thing. The line of creativity is what we shared," Brett said. "No matter what arena it's in, creative is creative."

They welcome the chance to talk to people about any business ideas they have, and act as consultants on how to maximize a plan and achieve results.

"You do what you do and you have faith in what you do," Susan said. "If you've done your homework, you can't get into too much trouble."

Figpickels is a good example of their talents and vision.

"Anybody could do a candy store. It's how you put it together," Susan said.

Learning and relaxing

They're strong believers in education.

One of their sons recently returned from Turkey, where he was teaching English and is in the running for the Fulbright scholarship, while the other is a junior at the University of Idaho.

"You've got to get that education," Brett said. "You've got to take it seriously because it's going to affect you your whole life."

It's one of the reasons they're often involved in fundraisers and projects that support schools.

"We're not giving our kids the tool chest they need, the tool kits to go out and build what they need to build," Brett said.

But bottom line, the Sommers prefer to enjoy life.

They like to, as they say, just get away.

They relax by settling in their 24-foot RV and just driving, anywhere they want. Tour the country, visit relatives, sight see, wherever the road takes them.

Forget business. Forget finances. Even forget about candy, paper and toys.

For a while, anyway.

"We can chill," she said.

"We become very different people when we get in the RV," Brett added.

"There's nothing to maximize when you're roasting a marshmallow," Susan said, laughing.